A catalytic converter assembly is typically deployed upon a vehicle and is communicatively and physically coupled to the engine, effective to receive and to treat the undesirable engine emissions. The treated emissions are then communicated into the vehicle's exhaust assembly where they are output from the assembly and into the ambient environment in which the vehicle resides. More particularly, the catalytic converter assembly usually resides upon the bottom surface of the vehicle and is connected to the engine and to the vehicle exhaust assembly. Since the catalytic converter assembly resides upon the bottom surface of the vehicle (i.e., the surface of the vehicle which is in close proximity and slightly above the road upon which the vehicle travels), it is highly desirable to form the catalytic converter into an oval, elliptical, or relatively thin or low profile shape or geometric configuration in order to provide a desired amount of clearance between the catalytic converter assembly and the road.
While prior catalytic converter assemblies adequately treat the undesirable engine emissions, they are difficult to manufacture, requiring the selective formation and attachment of many separate and individual portions or members, thereby undesirably increasing the overall vehicle cost and undesirably increasing the likelihood that some of these individual members or portions are defective or "out of tolerance", thereby preventing the overall catalytic converter assembly from properly fitting beneath the vehicle and from properly operating.
Some attempts have been made to simplify the manufacture or formation of a catalytic converter assembly, such as by the use of a single tube or member which has a relatively large diameter. The relatively large diameter tube or member is then selectively reduced or made thinner by a "drawing" or "spinning" process. While this process does produce a catalytic converter assembly which selectively treats undesirable engine emissions, it does not allow a substantially low profile, elliptical, or oval shaped member or assembly to be practically produced, thereby undesirably causing the deployed catalytic converter assembly, especially the relatively large catalytic member containing canisters, to be in relatively close proximity to the road surface and concomitantly increasing the likelihood of damage to the catalytic converter assembly by stones or other debris or objects which are resident upon the road. In order to improve the "road clearance", the catalytic converter assembly must by mounted relatively high within the vehicle, thereby undesirably reducing the amount of mounting space necessary for the other vehicle components. The mounting space requirements of these other vehicle components may even make this alternative catalytic converter mounting arrangement substantially unavailable or unattainable.
Further, the drawing or reduction of the provided member or tube detrimentally impacts or substantially reduces the structural integrity of the tube and of the formed catalytic converter assembly, thereby increasing the likelihood of failure or malfunction of the catalytic converter assembly.
There is therefore a need for a new and improved method for making a catalytic converter assembly which allows a substantially low profile catalytic converter assembly to be produced in a manner which overcomes at least some of the previously delineated drawbacks of prior techniques or methodologies for making catalytic converter assemblies and which further allows for the selective formation of a catalytic converter canister member having an integrally formed flange and which is selectively and relatively easily attachable to a second member or assembly, effective to form an overall low profile catalytic converter assembly.